I do a fair amount of work with the Fae. They are very clear that being in conflict, being self-centered, and even just being too serious weighs our energy down and stops our progress. Here is a simple exercise you can do daily to help take you out of the heaviness:

Go out into a garden, and take your shoes off. Feel the texture of the ground. Squat down and place your hands in the dirt, if you can. Feel the quality of it. Is it moist? Dry? Hard? Soft? Crumbly? Sticky? What does it smell like? Taste it, if you dare, just a little. Is it sharp? Sweet?

Are there any water features? A pond, a stream, a fountain, a birdbath? Go touch the water. Is it warm? Cool? What does it smell like? Is it moving or still? Is there anything visible living in it?

What plants grow here, in this garden? What shape are the leaves? What are the textures? Are things plump or flat? Are there flowers? What are the scents of the plants, not just the flowers, but the leaves. How do the plants move? What shapes do they grow in? How many of them can you name? What would you guess, if you do not know, their medicinal properties would be?

Take a deep breath. Feel the air filling your lungs. Is it cool? Hot? What does it smell like? What does it taste like? Is it dry or humid? Does it feel sharp or smooth? Is there a breeze? What direction is it coming from? Is it a different temperature than the air?

Are there insects? What kind? What are they doing? Are they moving quickly or slowly? Do they stay close to the ground or fly up high? What sound do they make?

Speaking of sound, what sounds do you hear, out in this garden? Are there manmade sounds as well as the sounds of nature? Is there a rhythm or a song to the noise as a whole? Is there bird song? Crickets? Bees? Frogs? Is the sound different when you move versus when you stand still?

Look up at the sky. Are there clouds? Blue sky? Haze or maybe even smog? Where in the sky is the sun? What color is the sky? Can you see the moon as well? Are there birds flying? Can you name them? Are they raptors? Carrion eaters? Birds that eat bugs in trees? Fruit eaters? Birds that go after ground insects? What colors are they? What’s their wingspan? Do they fly together or alone? Do they glide lazily on the currents or head purposely in a direction?

Can you feel the sun on your skin, warming you?

This is awareness of the natural world. This is the easiest way to start to heal the disconnect that we have created with our power lines and our concrete and our steel.

This awareness exercise comes from my book Faery Spiral: Library of Arcadia, published in 2013

Sometimes life can be overwhelming. Not even necessarily the events of life, but merely the amount of input that one receives.

It is in that moment of overwhelm that one is presented with a choice, a clear and simple choice. Do I allow myself to be overwhelmed by the data I am receiving, and become a victim, or do I allow humor to enter in and loosen things up?

This is not a recommendation to make a joke out of serious matters. It is a recommendation to allow yourself to see the humor, the ludicrousness, if you will, of the situation. Become aware of the cosmic joke.

Ask yourself this – where do I see the sense of humor of the Universe in my life today? Where can I choose to take the actions and events that surround me as parts of an ongoing comic strip in someone else’s paper?

Life doesn’t have to be so serious all the time, you know.

This post is part of a series called Monday Message, based on that day’s reflection from 365 Days to Enlightenment (authorized versions are currently out of print, working on a new edition). Check back next Monday for another one! You can also sign up for the Daily Message on my mailing list if you’d like to receive a new reflection every day. I also often post them to Instagram and Twitter, if either of those is a medium you enjoy.